Torch Runner

Tapping into the frenzied, cathartic rage that once inspired bands like Napalm Death, Torch Runner attempt to bowl listeners over with their savage blend of grindcore and doom. Though the two genres might feel like opposite ends of the extreme metal spectrum, the band utilizes the dynamic between grind's fury and doom's ominous crawl to keep listeners off-balance, making it so they can never be sure where the next sonic assault is coming from. Founded in 2007, the trio of bassist and vocalist Rob Turner, guitarist Scott Hughes, and drummer Josh Platt unleashed Locust Swarm through Communitas Records in 2010. Torch Runner eventually signed on with Southern Lord, where they released their follow-up, Committed to the Ground, in 2014. A third album, the destructive Endless Nothing, arrived later that same year. ~ Gregory Heaney